'Homophobia' Blamed for Priests' Abuse
by Ed Vitagliano and Sherrie Black
June 24, 2004
(AgapePress) - In the wake of the report issued by the Catholic Church on the priest sex abuse scandal, a new book lays the blame for the abuse in a surprising place.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops recently released the results of a two-year investigation into the allegations that a significant number of priests had sexually abused children and teens over a period of more than 50 years. The study found that 4,392 Catholic priests had allegedly abused more than 10,000 victims in that time span.
The report also found that most of the perpetrators were homosexual priests, a revelation that angered homosexual-rights groups. However, openly homosexual author David France admits in his new book, Our Fathers: The Secret Life of the Catholic Church in an Age of Scandal, that the offenders were, in fact, homosexual.
"[W]e now know from talking to these priests [who molested teenagers]: they're gay," France told The Advocate, a magazine targeted to the homosexual community, adding, "And if they were gay men, we should ask ourselves why that was happening. What caused it?"
What is France's explanation in Our Fathers? "What I argue is that these guys represent homosexuality in pure and total repression," he said. "This is what successful repression looks like: men so alienated from their own sense of self that their sexual expressions come out in explosive ways."
That explanation is rejected by pro-family groups. "So France's solution would be for the Catholic Church to embrace homosexuality and allow practicing homosexuals to serve as priests? And then the abuse would stop?" asked Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association. "That's a ridiculous fantasy denied by history and the undercurrents within gay culture. The real solution is to make sure that homosexuals aren't in the priesthood."
Hiding in Plain Sight
Meanwhile, a Texas newspaper has found that Roman Catholic priests accused of sexually abusing children are living abroad and still working in church ministries. An 18-month investigation by the Dallas Morning News finds that these runaway priests are hiding in plain sight -- and with the help of the church, have begun new lives in unsuspecting communities around the globe.
For example, the investigation found that a prominent Honduran candidate to succeed Pope John Paul II sheltered an admitted child-molesting priest who is now an international fugitive. And a former Australian priest convicted of child molestation is now helping lead mass at a Samoan church, where none of the parishioners are aware of his past.
The Dallas Morning News says the Samoan government wants to deport Rev. Frank Klep for failing to disclose his child molestation conviction when he arrived on the South Pacific island, and is giving him three days to leave voluntarily or seek an appeal. Klep could be deported to Australia, where he was convicted in 1994 and has been charged with additional sex offenses.
The newspaper says one Catholic order, the Salesians of Don Bosco, is known for moving priests accused of sexual abuse from country to country -- away from victims, law enforcement, and prosecution. Leaders of the religious order deny that. Klep is with that religious order.
